Next Wednesday, 16th March, The Visa Centre will be visited by a representative from CQUniversity. Interested prospective students are invited to The Visa Centre to meet with him to discuss potential study opportunities. CQU offers courses in: Business, Accounting and Law Creative,Performing and Visual Arts Education and Humanities Engineering and Built Environment Health Information Technology and Digital Media Psychology,Social Work and Community Services Science and Environment English, Work and Study Preparation CQU is based in Queensland, Australia, with 11 campuses there (including Brisbane and Cairns) but also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Find out more about the University here. Contact us for further information about this opportunity and to make an appointmen...

Immigration New Zealand application fees will be increased from 7 December 2015, and a new Immigration Levy introduced for temporary applicants, according to Immigration New Zealand . The changes include an increase to application fees and the introduction of the immigration levy on applicants for temporary visas (work, student, visitor), limited visas and some resident visas (unless the applicant is exempt). The immigration levy will be charged upon application and will replace the current migrant levy, which is paid by applicants for residence after they have been approved in principle. In addition to the fee increases and the introduction of a levy, a number of other changes to clarify, align or streamline fees regulations will also be made, such as removing the $92 discount that appli...

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) which sets the English language requirements for international students to study in NZ made some changes to the English requirements, which were to come into effect on 1 Oct, as we reported here. The changes are now due to come into effect on 24 October 2015, being one month since publication of student visa approval rates on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website. These rates were published on 24 September 2015, meaning that the new rules will apply to applications for a first New Zealand student visa that are submitted to INZ from 24 October 2015. Source: NZQA For further information on what the changes entail for students applying to study in NZ, see our last update and contact us if you are interested in applying. We assist with ...

Prospective students applying to study in New Zealand may be affected changes to the rules on English language requirements for studying at New Zealand institutes. From 1 October 2015, all students who have studied in English may not be exempt from IELTS or other English test requirements. [Note that this has now been extended to 24 October 2015]. There are changes to using internal English proficiency assessments and previous study at schools where English is the medium of instruction, as evidence of English proficiency for international students. NZQA Category 1 and approved Category 2 providers can now use internal English proficiency assessments only for international students from countries with an annual student visa approval rate of at least 80 per cent. NZQA Category 1, 2 and 3 ...

On Wednesday 19 August, The Visa Centre welcomed two representatives from Pacific International Hotel Management School (PIHMS), a hospitality school located in New Plymouth, New Zealand. Dean McCallum, Marketing Manager from New Plymouth, New Zealand and Sraddha Mansata, India Admissions Officer, from Mumbai, came and met with our CEO, consultants and interested students. PIHMS offers unique world-class hotel management courses, including: International Diploma in Hotel Management – Level 6 Bachelor of Applied Hospitality & Tourism Management – Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma in Hotel Management Level 8 and Master of Hotel Management Level 9 These all offer pathways to New Zealand residence (migration). A unique point about their courses is that they offer a guaranteed paid i...

On Monday 7 September 2015 The Visa Centre will be visited by Mr. Gurpartap Singh from CQUniversity, the Regional Representative Office – South Asia. Prospective students are invited to The Visa Centre to meet with him between 3.30-5.30pm on 7 September to discuss potential study opportunities there. CQU is based in Queensland, Australia, with 11 campuses there (including Brisbane and Cairns) but also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. CQU offers courses in: Business, Accounting and Law Creative,Performing and Visual Arts Education and Humanities Engineering and Built Environment Health Information Technology and Digital Media Psychology,Social Work and Community Services Science and Environment English, Work and Study Preparation Find out more about the Univeristy h...

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has been made aware of a new scam website and is urging customers to take special care that they are using the correct site. The website appears to be a direct copy of the home page of the official INZ website, with a slight change in the domain name. Consumers receive an email appearing to be from a trusted source inviting them to click on a link to the fake website where they are asked to enter personal details into a form as part of a phishing scam. Scammers use phishing scams to trick people into handing over personal information such as personal banking details, IRD numbers, social media passwords or, in this case, passport details which can be very valuable to fraudsters. The website and the forms can look very convincing. The real website has the follow...

The UK government announced changes to the Immigration Rules on 13 July. Many of these affect Tier 4 of the points-based system (UK student visas). The main changes will: stop new students at publicly funded colleges from working, bringing them in line with those at private colleges (from August) allow university students to study a new course at the same level but only where there’s a link to their previous course or the university confirms that this supports their career aspirations. There will be credibility interviews and sanctions against universities who abuse this rule (from August) ban college students from extending their Tier 4 visas in the UK unless they are studying at an ‘embedded college’, one which has a formal, direct link to a university that is recognised by the Hom...

As of 18 April 2015, minimum English language test scores for the Skilled – Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) and Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visas have changed. Applicants must now provide evidence of having achieved one of the following in a test taken in the three years immediately prior to lodging your visa application: an overall score of at least 6, with nothing below 5 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test a score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) of an Occupational English Test (OET) a total score of at least 64, with nothing below 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for writing and 14 for spe...

Next Wednesday, 17 June 2015, The Visa Centre will be visited by a representative from DeVry University, USA. Prospective students are invited to The Visa Centre to meet the representative between 10am-12pm for a student seminar and the chance to discuss potential study opportunities. DeVry has campuses through the United States of America and offers degrees in Business & Management Engineering Information Sciences Health Sciences Liberal Arts Media Arts & Technology For more information visit http://www.devry.edu/ Please contact us to make an appointment.

The pilot phase of Immigration New Zealand’s student visa Industry Partnership Programme (IPP) has identified some areas of work that need to be undertaken to ensure the programme is working effectively for all parties. To allow this work to be undertaken the IPP pilot will remain in place in its current form until the end of September 2015. During this period membership of the IPP pilot will remain unchanged. (Source: Immigration New Zealand) The Visa Centre (Pvt) Ltd assists with New Zealand student visas and is an agent for many educational institutes with Industry Partnership. . The IPP programme allows us as agents to apply for fast-tracking of student visa applications. We can assist with obtaining an offer of study and the whole visa process. If you are interested in Student ...

As of 18 April 2015, minimum English language test scores for the Skilled – Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) and Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visas have changed. Applications lodged after 18 April must include evidence of having achieved one of the following in a test taken in the three years immediately prior to lodging the visa application: an overall score of at least 6, with nothing below 5 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test a score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) of an Occupational English Test (OET) a total score of at least 64, with nothing below 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for w...

UK Visa & Immigration have made some changes to accepted English language test providers for various visa types. IELTS SELT Consortium is now the only approved SELT (Secure English Language Test) provider for visa applicants outside the UK. IELTS tests for visa purposes must be taken at an authorised SELT centre. Not all IELTs test centres are approved to offer SELT tests, therefore it is important that applicants book the correct tests. In Sri Lanka, British Council and ACBT are approved IELTS SELT centres. British Council IELTS exams can be booked through our sister company, Unitech and booked at its head office in The Visa Centre Colombo office building. UK Student Visa applicants International students going to study a degree at a UK university are not affected by this change,...

Students applying to study in the UK on a course lasting longer than 6 months and others applying for limited leave (long stay) will now (as of 6th April 2015) need to pay an immigration health surcharge. This change was made under the The Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015, published on 23 March 2015 and came into force on 6 April 2015. This enables those on UK student visas to access UK’s National Health Services (NHS)., some of which will be free of charge. However, they will still need to pay for certain services such as dental treatment, eye tests and prescriptions. Visitors to the UK will not need to pay the health surcharge, unless they are applying to stay more than six months. Academic visitors are also exempt from the health surcharge. However, visitors and s...

As of 1 May 2015 it is mandatory to use digital self-service for certain applications for Denmark migration/visa applications. At the same time, it is mandatory to use the printable application forms for a number of other types of applications. There are a number of advantages when using the digital self-service solutions. When submitting a digital application to the Immigration Service the user ensures that all the relevant and necessary information is submitted. The questions in the digital self-service solutions adapt to the individual user and all information is transferred directly to the Immigration Service’s case processing systems. This ensures a faster case process and thereby a better service for the users. Mandatory digital self-service The Immigration Service now imposes ...

Next Wednesday, 18th February, The Visa Centre will be visited by Mr. Gurpartap Singh from CQUniversity, the Regional Representative Office – South Asia. Prospective students are invited to The Visa Centre to meet with him to discuss potential study opportunities. CQU offers courses in: Business, Accounting and Law Creative,Performing and Visual Arts Education and Humanities Engineering and Built Environment Health Information Technology and Digital Media Psychology,Social Work and Community Services Science and Environment English, Work and Study Preparation CQU is based in Queensland, Australia, with 11 campuses there (including Brisbane and Cairns) but also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Find out more about the Univeristy here. Contact us for further information ...

Next Tuesday, 11th November 2014, The Visa Centre welcomes the Director of Marbella International University, Spain, to offer students places of study at their university in Spain. This includes opportunities to study for Bachelor or Masters degress in Business, Hospitality, Marketing and International Relations. Marbella International University Centre is a global academic institution providing a new kind of learning experience based on an advanced curriculum, cutting-edge technology and a unique living environment. MIUC takes pride in its dynamic Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes, which combine interactive teaching practices with state of the art facilities and personalised student services. Located in the heart of the Spanish port city of Marbella, MIUC is committed to the...

From today, Monday 6 October 2014, the New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) in New Delhi will operate from a new location. Address: T T Services B – 6 / 8, 3rd Floor, Commercial Complex Safdarjung Enclave, Opposite Deer Park New Delhi – 110029 Phone: Email: Website: +91 11-42596300 (Mondays to Fridays – 9:00am to 3:00pm) inzdelhi@ttsvisas.com www.ttsnzvisa.com Office hours: Call centre hours: (Mondays to Fridays – 9:00am to 3:00pm) (Mondays to Fridays – 9:00am to 3:00pm) Applications can continue to be submitted to the New Delhi VAC by mail or in person. Refer to the website for more information about the VAC in New Delhi. Source: Immigration New Zealand Applicants in Sri Lanka can continue to submit applications in TTS Colombo, for processing in India. For information about...

Australia’s Minister of Immigration has introduced a new Bill which proposes to change the character requirements for entry into and holding visas in Australia, allowing he Minister greater powers to cancel visas. The Bill amends section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) to broaden the existing grounds for the Minister to refuse or cancel a visa on character grounds. The additional grounds will include: The Minister “reasonably suspects” that the person has been a member of a group or association that has been or is involved in criminal conduct; The Minister “reasonably suspects” involvement in people smuggling, trafficking in persons, genocide and other crimes against humanity; Conviction by an Australian or foreign court for a sexual offence against a child – visa...

Applicants for student visas in New Zealand can now apply online. The new online service allows applicants to compete forms, upload documents and pay fees online. However, passports still need to be physically submitted at an INZ branch or Visa Application Centre (such as TTS). New ‘e-visas’, issued without requiring a stamp in the passport, are expected to be introduced next year. INZ General Manager Stephen Dunstan says that the first application submitted online under the new ICT system, known as Immigration ONLINE, has already been approved, subject to the applicant’s passport being submitted. “The launch of student visas online has been a great success and will give our customers a much improved service,” Mr Dunstan says. “This is a significant first step i...

New Zealand has experienced a migration boom close to record levels. This is partly attributable to the Canterbury rebuild, following the Christchurch earthquake in 2011. Following that, a new Canterbury Skills Shortage List and Canterbury Employment & Skills Hub was introduced to encourage employment and facilitate migration to that region. Further, there has been a rise in the number of international students from India and China, mainly. On the other side, less New Zealanders have been migrating to Australia due to a decline in the labour market there. New Zealand’s economic market has been improving, relative to Australia’s. Unemployment in New Zealand is currently 5.6 per cent, while the unemployment rate in Australia was at 6.4 per cent, according to July figures, ...

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has commended New Zealand on its immigration policy and found that it is working well. The OECD noted that New Zealand has a longstanding history of immigration and its labour migration flows are among the largest in the OECD. Temporary labour migration in New Zealand is the highest in the OECD relative to its population. More than one out of four persons in the workforce is foreign-born. The report also notes that migrants are highly represented among the high-educated and their labour market outcomes are favourable in international comparison. More than 23,000 essential skills visas (work visas based on shortages) were granted over the 2011-2012 year, with the main country of origin being from UK (16%), followed by P...

With effect from Monday 19 of May 2014, anyone in Sri Lanka applying for a UK visa for longer than 6 months needs screened and to obtain a certificate from an approved clinic to show that they are free from TB before they make a UK visa application. Applicants who need to undergo screening will need to pay the clinic for the diagnostic tests. The fees have been set at $90 USD for adults and $40 USD for children. The issued certificate will be valid for 6 months. The International Office for Migration (IOM) will be officially managing the arrangements for the testing in Sri Lanka for the UK Home Office. Only certificates received from the IOM clinic in Colombo will be accepted in support of associated applications. The official address of the sole clinic in Sri Lanka is: IOM Migration Hea...

On 13 May 2014, Australia’s Federal Budget was delivered by the Commonwealth Treasurer, Hon Joe Hockey. Implications for Australian migration (and temporary and other visas) are as follows. The 2014-15 Migration Program will remain at 190,000 places. The breakdown, as follows, is the same as in the 2013-2014 budget: 128,550 skilled stream places 60,885 family stream places 565 special eligibility places. There are some changes to the Family Stream: additional partner and child places will be made available, in place of other family and non-contributory parent places. This shows a continued focus on getting skilled migrants to Australia, to help contribute to Australia’s economic growth, while maintaining a large number of family places. Other announcements nclude the Gover...

As of 1 April 2014 UK visa candidates and others can use a new “international enquiry service” to find information about the visa application process. The service is provided by Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) working in partnership with UK Visas and Immigration to offer enquiry services to people applying for a visa. The new international enquiry service will provide an improved service to visa customers in 20 languages with opening times reflecting the working hours and days in each country. Customers will also receive a quicker response and in some cases the cost of their call will be cheaper. UK Visas and Immigration’s director general Sarah Rapson said: “Providing excellent customer service to visa applicants is a key part of what we do. “HGS will run a global e...

As of 19 April 2014, a credit card surcharge now applies to Australia visa application fees paid by credit card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB and Diners credit cards. The fee is a percentage of the amount being paid, based on the type of card used. The fee is calculated at the time of payment and the applicant will have a chance to view and confirm the total before finalising payment. The following surcharge rates will apply: Visa and MasterCard – 1.08% American Express and JCB – 1.99% Diners Club International – 2.91% Source: Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

This week (as of 6 April 2014), UK immigration fees have increased for visas, immigration and nationality applications, and associated premium services. This was previewed in our previous news post in February. Most fees have increased 4% rise for most fees, including the short-term visitor visa and most work, study and settlement (migration/residence) applications. Increases have also been made to other specific categories. The UK Home Office (government department) says the fee increases will allow them to improve customer service and cover costs through those applicants benefiting from it. Key changes: fees for most applications, including short-term visit, work, study and settlement, increased by 4% fees for all dependants are set at the same level as main applicants (25% discoun...

More than 74,000 international students applied for Australian student visas in the three months to September 2013, according to Australian immigration. This is the highest figure for four years and seems to show that Australia has recovered as a favored destination for international students after a three year slump in popularity. By 2009, there were nearly 500,000 people in Australia with student visas. While this was welcomed by many Australians, others complained that many students, from India in particular, were using forged academic qualifications to gain entry to the country and were coming to Australia not as students but as permanent migrants. ‘A migration outcome’ An Australian government report, the Knight Report, into immigration at the time found that ‘Some l...

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has warned immigration applicants for Canada to be aware of immigration fraud and to use authorized immigration representatives. March is Fraud Prevention Month and this year Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has partnered with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC) to promote awareness of authorized immigration representatives and what services they can provide. The Visa Centre partners with an ICCRC registered immigration consultancy in Canada and uses its services for all Canada visa applications. Contact The Visa Centre for any Canada visa enquiries.

From 22 March 2014, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection(DIBP) Australia will be adding charges for payment of visa application charges (VACs) and other payments by credit cards. Details are not known yet but are expected to be published officially by DIBP from 22 March 2014, when forms will also be updated to reflect the changes.

A recent study by Statistics Canada (Picot and Hou) has shown that children of immigrants in Canada are twice as likely to attend university than students who have both parents born in Canada. According to the study, of those who go to university: 50% are of parents both born outside Canada 31% have one parent born in and one outside Canada 25% have both parents born in Canada “Students with Chinese origins are 40 percentage points more likely to attend university than those with Canadian-born parents,” write Picot and Heng Hou. “That means that almost three-quarters of students with Chinese origins attend university, more than twice the rate among students with Canadian-born parents.” So far the government has tried to make it easier for migrants, on the basis that they are disa...

The Canadian government recently announced changes to the Canada Student Visa (Study Permit) rules, coming into effect in June this year (2014). Changes which may make it easier for student visa applicants after June include: allowing part-time work and full-time work in the holidays, without separately applying for a visa. allowing certain visitors to apply for study permits while in Canada allowing students to stay in Canada until 90 days after completion of study allowing some student visa holders to work full time after graduation Changes may make it more difficult for student visa applicants/holders, such as: having to enrol for study first and continuing study upon grant of visa or face removal from Canada limitations on which institutes students may study at limitations on who ca...

The UK government has recently (February 2014) announced proposed changes to visa/immigration application fees. Though the fee changes are yet to be approved by the UK Parliament, if approved, it will come into effect in April 2014. The proposals increase most fees by 4 percent, including the short-term visit visa. The UK Home Office Border Agency says other specific increases are being proposed so as to limit wider general increases. The increases, they say, will allow them to improve customer service, and offer new optional premium services, such as: a 3-5 day priority visa service costing £100; a priority settlement application service for a fee of £300; a super priority visa service for £600, which will expedite the application process to the shortest period possible; appoint...

From tomorrow (February 6th) visitors to Canada will automatically be considered for multiple-entry visas to visit Canada multiple times for up to 6 months, over 10 years. The multiple-entry visa is particularly popular with visitors who hold 10-year passports and have been eligible to apply for a 10-year visa, such as nationals of China, India and Mexico. Sri Lankan passports also fall within this category. Citizens of countries with 5-year valid passports can apply for multiple-entry visas for up to five years. The fee for temporary resident visas (TRV) will be reduced from CAD150 to 100 (approx LKR11,800) for single or multiple entry. However, other fees for temporary resident visas will be increased. These increases include (all figures in CAD): $25 for study permits and renewals; $5 ...

The UK Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that there is no limit on the number of Indian students who can study in the UK. On his way to the CHOGM summit in Sri Lanka, while in In India, he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi and was interviewed by the Indian media. When questioned as to whether Indian students were not welcome in UK and there was a freeze on opportunities for them, the UK prime minister responded, “‘My message is very clear. We want to attract the brightest and the best to Britain whether you’re a student, a post-grad, entrepreneur or businessman. If you’re a genuine student studying at a genuine institution, you will get your visa. There are no limits on numbers’.” However, Mr Cameron faces pressure to cut net ...

The Australian Student visa program provides international students the opportunity to study in Australia at all levels of education. International students (eg from Sri Lanka) require a Student visa before commencing any course or study in Australia.

U.S. immigration law provides three non-immigrant visa categories for study in the United States:
The "F" visa for academic studies,
The “J” visa for exchange programs and
The "M" visa for nonacademic or vocational studies.

Studying the Denmark requires a residence permit (other than citizens of Denmark, EU or EAA). There are three types of study which require a permit: Higher educational programmes Basic and youth study programmes Folk high schools (folkehøjskoler)

Immigration New Zealand has declined on average about 10 student visa applications from Indian nationals each day – mainly because they contain false or misleading information. In the year from about July 2011 to July 2012 Immigration New Zealand declined 3453 applications from India and 1027 Chinese applications. A random check of 1800 applications found 279 fraudulent applications were received from Bejing, China. “Immigration fraud will not be tolerated,” said Immigration New Zealand’s general manager, Peter Elms. “Fraud strikes at the heart of New Zealand’s immigration system”. “The integrity of our immigration system is paramount, given its importance to New Zealand and our international reputation.” Another common discovery ...

The Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans, and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations Chris Bowen, have announced a number of changes to make Australia’s international education sector more competitive to attract more international students. The new measures are a response to the report: “Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011″ submitted by the Honorable Michael Knight AO. “Our international education sector is world class, and the reforms announced today will help entrench Australia as a preferred destination for international students,” Evans said in a statement. “The reforms will assist in ensuring Australia remains an attractive study option and will offer practical support for international education providers that have b...

The Australian government has announced this week that more international students (including those from Sri Lanka) will be eligible for the Post-Study work visa as part of the Australian government’s response to the Knight Review of the student visa program. Australian Immigration announced on November 30 the new Post-Study work visa program would be available for Bachelor or higher degree graduates starting in 2013, according to a joint press release from Chris Evans, Australian Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations and Chris Bowen, Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. “These changes bring Australia into line with arrangements in other countries and enable education providers to offer a more competitive package to international students...

Rashida Chapti, a British Citizen living in the UK has filed a human rights complaint with the new immigration law which requires spouse immigrants to speak English. Under this new ruling implemented in November of 2010 by Home Secretary, Theresa May, all spouses must speak English in order to immigrate to the UK. Mrs. Chapti says this new law violates her right to a family life and to marriage. Mr. Vali Chupti, 57, cannot speak, read, or write English, and admittedly has no plans to learn once in the UK. His wife, Mrs. Chapti says he will be a valuable member of society, but several local voices have spoken out against letting this husband join his wife in the UK. Amanda Platell, a columnist for dailymail.co.uk, has taken a firm stance against letting this man, and those like him into the...